Ice cream cones are available in several varieties. Most common are the cup-type and the conical type. These types of cones, in turn, are available in various sizes.
Prior art workers have devised a variety of different cone dispensers. The most frequently encountered cone dispensers comprise support means for an elongated carton containing columns of nested cones. The columns of cones are retained in the carton, until dispensed, by spring means. Such dispensers, however, are characterized by a number of deficiencies. They are generally unattractive and somewhat flimsy. During the dispensing procedure, the relatively delicate cones are often broken. Finally, most such dispensers are designed to dispense cones of one size only, it being necessary to have a separate dispenser for each cone size.
The present invention is based upon the discovery that if the cones are dispensed through a baffle having cutouts therein with resilient fingers to retain the cones until dispensed, cone breakage can be substantially reduced or eliminated. Furthermore, if such a dispensing baffle is mounted on a carton adapter (intended to receive and support the dispensing end of the cone carton), and if the carton adapter and dispensing baffle are separate elements mountable in the dispensing stand, then a given dispenser can be provided with several sizes of carton adapters and dispensing baffles to render it capable of dispensing various sizes of cones.
The dispenser of the present invention is both sturdy and attractive. The dispensing baffles can be readily replaced if their cone engaging fingers become worn or lose their appropriate resiliency. The dispenser can be easily assembled and disassembled for cleaning and the like. By virtue of the provision of an adapter and dispensing baffle, the dispenser is easier to load than most prior art structures.